Deleted.

 

Last edited: Mar 14, 2021

'Block chords' are diatonic block chords, as used in jazz. Also sometimes called lock chords because of the postitioning of the hands together as if the thumbs are locked.
I have no idea what you are talking about or what music theory you have learnt.

 

Hhhmmm.... how a simple question leads to insinuations and the typical male behaviour of showing off knowledge.

The answer is: you can use any notes you like as long as it sounds good.
Like in classical music where different instruments play individual notes that are combined into harmonies.
These harmonies can be build of basic triads or more complex chords.
You are free to use the same technique in your modern-day productions and like I said: as long as it sounds good to you it's oke.

Have a nice one.

 

Use the proper terminology!

Ironic.

 

Holy shit you are clueless.

First of all, "if the notes don't sound, they are not there" statement is just... what the fuck?

Let's begin by pointing out that we have these things called overtones. Because of normal doubling conventions, generally speaking perfect fifth is always present even if you never play it. As long as something plays the root that isn't a perfect sinewave (or something with inharmonic overtones mostly), you will have your fifth. In a big block where 3 voices are playing the root and one voice plays the third, the fifth is going to be about as strongly present as the third - even though nothing plays it.

But wait, there's more. You see, you even if you had something like a m7b5 chord, the fifth could be omitted and it would still be a m7b5 chord assuming the b5 is diatonically occuring tone (i.e. based either on the seventh degree in major, or second in minor). This is because of expectations and our brains capability to fill in the "missing notes".

Third thing. Since you specifically talked about dyads. For basic chord functions, the perfect fifth is the most pointless note. It's the first note you can omit that is the least gamechanger. Second least impactful note is a major ninth. Most important notes for chord functions are the root and the third - with the exception of dominant seventh chord, there arguably third and the seventh are most important notes (which is a major reason why tritone substitutions work).

That is to say, you can fulfill standard I-IV-V-I harmony with simple "dyads". In fact, due to how strongly the overtones are present in supersaw sounds, typically it's a bad idea to play more than the root and the third with supersaw sounds unless they are heavily filtered.

 

Are you on-topic ???
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Piano+block+chords

 

Anyway, let's answer the OP question, because it's a great topic for beginners to learn and to play.

If you are tired of using straight up blocks, you can simply divvy up your chords rhythmically into left & right hands. A very simple way to do this is to play 1-5-1 on your left hand (root - fifth - octave) and then nothing but third and seventh on your right hand. Consider this particular voicing as the most "vanilla" kind of voicing - and by alternating between left and right hand rhythmically, you can achieve your chord in a somewhat precise manner. One important thing to understand: you can't play this voicing in an actual jazz gig at least if you have a bass player. It will upset the bassist because you're on their turf - you need to use rootless voicings.

Once you learn how to do this, you will quickly figure out that you can apply the same idea with different voicings. For instance, while still having 1-5-1 in your left hand, you can play (certain!) major chords so that the right hand plays third, major sixth and major ninth. This is known as 3-6-9 on right hand, and you will get a very nice quartal voicing. Or for instance, standard open add9 voicing for minor & major chords in right hand: 3-5-9 (third, fifth & ninth).

After you learn this stuff and just play rhythmically between the two hands, you can learn even more. If you want to work with voicings that free up your left hand, your standard should be 1-3-7 on the left hand. It's a shell voicing and technically a block chord, but you use this to comp the chords for yourself - no other reason. You can also play so that for instance, on first beat you play 1-3 and then on second the seventh comes in etc. Also, a good voicing to enrich your vocabulary is 1-5-9 for the left hand - this means you can get the ninth into the chords. But do not use this voicing for b9's or #9's. Bad idea.

Now, here's where the fun begins. You can do more than just vary rhythmically between the two hands. You can just play 1-5-1 notes rhythmically independently on your left hand for a bassline (this is how you get into bossa nova very quickly!) while playing chords on the right hand and you can even play the melody with your pinky and stuff. And of course, you can get into walking bass, too. Or if you just need to comp, play the bassline with the right hand and then thirds and sevenths with the left hand.

For instance, a very simple figuration for 6/8 time signature: 1-5-1 and then pause for one beat and then play 5-1 back down. During the paused beat, just play third and seventh and sustain it until the chord changes. Simple, effective, beautiful.

And you can learn to swing and shit. It's all great. But yeah, this is how you get away from block chords if you want to, assuming you play yourself.

 

I answered to a specific person who wasn't you because that person was absolutely clueless, and I even quoted him. So I'm as on topic as he was?

 

No, really? lol

I can read.

If that's a question, then I'd have to read who you are arguing with. But the answer is probably yes; both as OT as each other if language is getting like that!
The member in the OP doesn't know what he is talking about either, hence my posts.
He is essentially asking about divisi yet using the wrong terminology, but says he knows music theory.
I thought I'd teach him what block chords are, so that he can go forward with correct terminology.

 

Have you never met Lenny Belardo before? He is rarely serious. As the Pope, he has two favourite objects to which he directs his withering wit. The first is religion in general and the second is Jazz music. Although he once saw Jaco Pastorius and was very impressed.

 

Sorry and how is any of this related to what I was saying? I wasn't talking to you or about you or even about anything you said. I mean if you want I can talk about that too: block chord refers to specific arrangement of chords as explicit blocks. In jazz, "playing block chords" refers to particular style of comping, but in theory it just refers to specific style of chordal arrangement. OP used the term correctly, but most of the replies OP got were terrible though.

 

There are TONS of theory how-to books and courses for new producers. Check the sister site.

 

I know. You didn't have to be to warrant me quoting your obscenity and asking if this is on-topic. Why would you think otherwise? It was pretty simple to understand. And this is a public, open thread.
It's a bit of a downer to start reading and see all this type of 'discussion' turn nasty, tbh.
The member in the OP has used the wrong terminology in the OP; I quoted it above.
Whereas the title refers to chord blocks.
A term I have never heard in 30+ years of professional work.
Just saying.

I already posted the video on diatonic block chords. Your explanation is a bit basic and not totally correct.
Why are you even trying to tell me what I know and posted? And getting it wrong too?
You're talking to a keys player who has played with Ronnie Scott, amongst others.
It's not really just for comping, it's a specific way to revoice under a leading note melody really.

 

one of the rules in bach´s fugal technique used to be that on beat 1, 5, 9... the melody plays a note which does not belong to the harmony it is associated with when playing together with the 2nd voice, think about that.

 

You know, it's great that you've played with Ronnie Scott, but you should learn what these terms actually mean. A block chord is a block chord even if you played it on a damn guitar. And if you're such a pro, I'd expect you to at least understand that diatonicism has jack all to do with what constitutes as a block chord. Simultaneously I'd expect you to understand that if you're playing chords for any kind of melody, that's literally what accompanying is. You're accompanying the melody.

Your video had nothing to do with what OP was asking about, and that's really the end of it, genius.

 

Pay attention:

Comping is not comping yourself! haha. With diatonic blocks you are playing the melody too.
Comping is a different technique, "genius".

My video was to show the OP his mistake AS I HAVE ALREADY SAID TO YOU.

You are angry, and it's no surprise I can't mention your off-topicness and obscene language without becoming another victim of your anger.
You sound really jealous that I am more experienced than you!
I will not expect anything other than shit from you.
Good day to you.

 

Last edited: Mar 15, 2021

With 3 'Agree' ratings.

It's all very well you knowing what you mean by the term block chords, but the rest of the world uses the term in another way, as I have pointed out in the block chords video.
You seem to be asking about the technique of divisi.
Please learn the correct terminology, as you obviously do have a lot of knowledge already, but it is incomplete.

After watching the video on block chords, you may now rethink this.
Although I'd like to hear it! lol.

No disrespect to your advice, but this is an instrumental musician thang, not a 'producer' thang.
And it's covered in basic music theory 101. And yes, there are probably some simple starter books on AZ.

 

I mean, you haven't actually shown (or even told) anything that even implies that you have any actual experience as a composer and/or an arranger. But please do show me, I mean it would certainly make me happier to know that the bar is really that low. Meanwhile I'll happily focus on developing rather than be that old dog trying to learn new tricks (like proper terminology!). See, you're trying to pose as the "rest of the world" here, but you're actually the one that can't see any other meaning to that term besides how jazzists talk about it. Even the damn wikipedia has an article on block chords where the second paragraph explains it exactly the way OP is using the term.

The fact that you think "block chord" refers specifically to music performance kind of is telling enough as to how much you have experience in arranging and/or composition.

 

I don't know which wiki you were looking at! Check it out below.
But this copy/paste from wiki also says exactly what I said about diatonic block chords! I put a star next to the paragraph and put it in bold for you.
Block chords are TOTALLY about diatonic melody.
Although you say this:

So you are wrong. And it's fine. I don't expect an apology.
And the member of the OP did NOT use the term correctly.
There is nothing in the wiki that he said.
Just try to chill out, eh? I came here to talk on the thread title and OP being wrong, and you were already slagging someone off, with insulting language and profanity, and I mentioned it to you. Because it's not nice to read and you don't have to be like that to people.
And now it's got like this between you and I too! I think you should chill out.

Block chord
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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For block harmony, see Close and open harmony.
A block chord is a chord or voicing built directly below the melody either on the strong beats or to create a four-part harmonized melody line in "locked-hands"[1] rhythmic unison with the melody, as opposed to broken chords. This latter style, known as Shearing voicing, was popularized by George Shearing, but originated with Phil Moore.[1]

Block chord style (also known as chorale style) uses simple chordal harmony in which "the notes of each chord may be played all at once" as opposed to being "played one at a time (broken or arpeggiated chords). For example, a guitarist can strum the chord (this would be a "block" chord) or use a picking style to play "broken" chords".[2] The notes of arpeggios are often grouped into block chords for ease of analysis.

Block chords and doubled melody are easily used in a melody line that has a swing feel and strengthen the melody so as to separate that melody from the rhythmic background. Block chording was often used by jazz bands and orchestras such as those led by Count Basie and Duke Ellington.[citation needed]

Voicings or methods include:[citation needed]

• Generic block chord—chords that simply follow the above rule.
• Double melody—("Shearing voicing") with an additional fifth part that doubles the melody an octave lower.
• Drop 2—the second voice from the top is transposed one octave lower (technically not a block chord).
• Drop 3—the third voice from the top is transposed an octave lower (also technically not a block chord).
• Drop 4—the bottom voice is transposed one octave lower (also technically not a block chord).

If the melody note is part of the chord, the harmony notes are also taken from the chord.[citation needed]

*This technique is common if the melody note is diatonic (and not chromatic) and uses diminished chords for the notes that are not part of the chord. If the melody note is considered a passing tone, the harmony is created either by a diminished chord or a chromatically shifted chord. Before creating the harmonies, the chords could be converted to 6th chords, although this is not a rule.

The fact you are wrong about the block chords also means you are by default also wrong about your amazingly wrong judgement of me.
You may want to think about who you may be talking to on AS, that's all I will say.
You have heard my music in your life, put it that way.
Cheers.

 

It's all about emotions, not rules, genres, formulas, past recordings, or any such sh*t. Play what makes YOU happy. Forget "advice". Robert Johnson did, Jimi did. You rock.